Before her appeal he hid his face in his one hand. Fearing lest, even in comforting him, she harmed him, she went swiftly and silently from the room.

Early next morning, and without further word with her guest, Lady Evangeline Walrond set out for London.

TH

CHAPTER XXXIV

CHARITY HORNBUCKLE'S RELIGION

HE confiscation of the stores at Skeleton Priory was a loss divided among the members of one of the largest Cornish clubs that financed the smugglers; and there is evidence that Squire Beckensawe was one of the chief losers. Hence, as it was desirable that his name should not be associated with the affair, he persuaded his brother magistrates that there was no case against either Dr. Ralph or Daniel Hoblyn. But the crazy vicar of St. Neot's was not so fortunate; and, Sir Nicholas, compelled to give way on his side, granted a warrant for his apprehension and the Bench had committed him for trial. There was little enough evidence against him, though his absence precisely at the time when the law might have need of him, gave some colour to suspicion. Mr. Barker, moreover, ardent in the cause of protestantism, left no stone unturned to bring his confrère's conduct before the Chancellor and Consistory of Exeter.

The indictment of Captain Kellinack and his two elder sons was less grave than Luke's, being that of merely aiding and abetting in the illegal imprisonment of a King's officer. Luke's plight looked worse every day. It was generally admitted that the dead body carried out of the caves was that of the lieutenant; and, as such, it had been buried. But while his death removed the principal witness for the Crown-it added

the charge of murder to Luke's indictment and made it unlikely he would escape the capital penalty-even if Lady Evangeline succeeded in securing the King's interest.

But the person who suffered most was Charity. Added to her misery on her lover's behalf, it seemed impossible for the girl to keep out of Daniel Hoblyn's way. So despairing was she that she began to talk about killing herself to get away from it all. Following on Luke's arrest, came a pair of gold French earrings from the overseer. In a rage of resentment Charity set the things under a grinding heel and crushed all shape out of the long hollow drops-Genefer looking on with horror at this vicious destruction of the beautiful things. Cherry was putting them back in their box of shellwork, intending that her aunt should leave them at the overseer's house without word or comment, when her father strode angrily into the kitchen. With a forced attempt to make his words kind, he could not conceal the smoke of his smouldering reproaches. He even kissed the girl roughly. Though he seldom caressed his children, he worked hard for them and, by religious and severe discipline, sought to make up to them for having no mother. Now, with heavy scowling brows the man looked terrible.

"I'm come to fetch ye home, Charity," he said, " Get your duds together and look alive, or the mare'll catch her death. That famous sweetheart o' yours 'll be squeakin' in the gallus-chains, come Assizes. Ain't it more sensible to chuck 'im out o' yer mind 'stead o' waitin' for the judge to swing 'im out for ye? Be a good girl now!"

But Charity had stepped back and, as she glared at her father, her beauty was transformed: her straight soft eyebrows assumed some look of his frowning visage. The man was too dull to comprehend.

“Look alive, I tell ye, Charity, an' ye'll have a fine an' hearty welcome up to home. . . and round the

corner as proper a mate as you'll land this side Kingdom come!

Still the girl glared-too terrified to speak, too brave to obey.

Now, heark'ee here, Charity,"the man continued, pacing the kitchen and throwing furtive glances at her from beneath his brows: "I've been all'us a good father to ye, an' shown ye how to walk in fear o' the Lord. I've give ye scriptur' warrant for my dealin's with ye all. I've fed ye and I've fatted ye. I've larned ye readin' and writin' an' figurin' better than many a fine lady: an' d'ye think't was to make o' ye a mule of obstinaceousness? An' I've never took the stick to one of ye to larn ye better, but what I've prayed the Lord on my knees to direc' it and not let it come on yer backs no more heavier than what was just an' yer dues. So if I have strucken ye, 'tis the hand o' the Lord. An' now I'm doin' a sight more for ye than him in the Bible did for his prodigal son: "I've come to fetch ye home."

But still Cherry's face showed no relenting.

'An' if ye don't make it up with Master Hoblyn,” Farmer Hornbuckle continued with rising voice," he swears you shall stand in the dock alongside o' that murderer, that dam sweetheart o' yourn! He seen the two o' ye taking the lewtenant out in the boat and carryin' of him back dead. He seen him strike the poor gen'leman down."

"'Tis a lie, 'tis a lie. Father," interposed the girl fiercely. But he ignored her.

"

So if you don't want your own neck twisted in a knot, nor yet to bring your brothers an' sisters to disgrace though 'tis me ye seems to hate-why, you come backalong home!"

Then Charity opened the shell box, and held up the crushed earrings.

Thicky here was earrings five minutes 'gone," she said, with low-voiced deliberation. "Hoblyn sent

'em. 'Twas the heel of my boot did for 'em. You can give 'em back to Hoblyn, Father, or Auntie can, if you won't. An' if so be, when he's clunked1 my respec'ful thanks for 'em an' leaves me alone, an' if you still wants me back to home-why, 'tedn' me as'll hold out. An' I'll fill my belly with the husks that the swine do eat if that'll larn me to please ye better! Here! " And she tried to thrust the box into his hands. But he, now purple with anger, seized her by the arm, shook the strong girl as though she was a weak child, beat her on head and back with his heavy fist, and flung her to the ground. Then only, did he discover that Genny was hanging on to one of his legs with her sharp little teeth fast through his cord breeches into the flesh behind his knee. With an oath he tried to tear the child off, but she clung the tighter, now with arms as well as teeth so that he dragged and shook and beat her before she would loose her hold. At last he flung the fiercehowling little thing down by the side of his daughter and limped away to his gig.

That was Charity Hornbuckle's answer to both men. "If I sez it, I bides by it!" she said, while, aching all over, and one eyebrow bleeding, she comforted the weeping child; an' if the worst du come, 'tis by his side I'll hang—an' gladly! An' if I'm left, an' they makes me have that devil-souled Hoblyn, 'tis a mangled corpse on the Trannion rocks he shall have to honour an' obey 'un!"

Then, all dishevelled she broke away and up to St. Neot's, though now it was little better than an ocean derelict, its master gone no one knew where. Her passion of anger past, cold misery and hopelessness held her. She would go find Parson Christopher: or better still her mother; and the only way for that was 'long the finger-post road over Trannion Head. After weeping for that mother-dead barely a year-and finding only fresh anguish in that and no comfort in St. 1 Swallowed.